When a Patient Sues You in Small Claims Court

Question: One of my former patients is suing me for $2,450 in small claims court. He's claiming that my treatment was unnecessary and possibly harmful. What should I do?

Posted in Risk Management on Thursday, January 30, 2020

Answer: Contact us at 1-800-242-4052. We can talk you through the issues and assign an attorney to assist in your defense.

While some states don't allow a defendant to be represented by an attorney in a small claims action, others do. Either way, NCMIC will assign counsel to thoroughly prepare your case for the small claims court hearing.

While these courts may be informal, your case could involve complex issues of jurisdiction, rules of evidence or procedure, and statutes of limitations. That's where the assistance of an expert attorney can really come into play. Your NCMIC-assigned attorney can deal with these issues and can also help you prepare your defense and gather expert opinions.

Remember, as with malpractice cases, any small claims court payment made by an insurance company on your behalf – no matter how small – must be reported to the National Practitioner Data Bank.

Resources by Topic

Knowledge to keep you sharp

Whether you're looking for articles, videos, resources, or tools on the business aspects of starting or growing a chiropractic practice, we're here for you.

Hiring & Retaining Talent in the New World - Chiropractical Podcast Podcast | Risk Management Hiring post-COVID is a whole different animal. We talk to Dr. Mark Sanna about how to find and keep great chiropractic employees in this new world. An...

Patient and DC Disagree on Date(s) of Treatment Case Studies | Examiner eNewsletter Jessica Johnson, 42, had a long history of occasional headaches and low back pain related to poor posture. Her condition was made worse by a teaching ...

Marijuana and Your Practice Article | Risk Management What does legal marijuana use mean for your practice and your patients? We talked to an attorney about concerns and considerations you may want to pon...

Chiropractic Care | Chronic Pain | Opioids Webinar | Risk Management The chiropractic profession is uniquely positioned to deliver this care—are you?